David S. Blondheim

Reliability of Visual Assessment of Global and Segmental Left Ventricular Function: A Multicenter Study by the Israeli Echocardiography Research Group

BACKGROUND The purpose of this multicenter study was to determine the reliability of visual assessments of segmental wall motion (WM) abnormalities and global left ventricular function among highly experienced echocardiographers using contemporary echocardiographic technology in patients with a variety of cardiac conditions. METHODS The reliability of visual determinations of left ventricular WM and global function was calculated from assessments made by 12 experienced echocardiographers on 105 echocardiograms recorded using contemporary echocardiographic equipment. Ten studies were reread independently to determine intraobserver reliability. RESULTS Interobserver reliability for visual differentiation between normal, hypokinetic, and akinetic segments had an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.70. The intraclass correlation coefficient for dichotomizing segments into normal versus other abnormal was 0.63, for hypokinetic versus other scores was 0.26, and for akinetic versus other scores was 0.58. Similar results were found for intraobserver reliability. Interobserver reliability for WM score index was 0.84 and for left ventricular ejection fraction was 0.78. Similar values were obtained for the intraobserver reliability of WM score index and ejection fraction. Compared to angiographic data, the accuracy of segmental WM assessments was 85%, and correct determination of the culprit artery was achieved in 59% of patients with myocardial infarctions. CONCLUSION Among experienced readers using contemporary echocardiographic equipment, interobserver and intraobserver reliability was reasonable for the visual quantification of normal and akinetic segments but poor for hypokinetic segments. Reliability was good for the visual assessment of global left ventricular function by WM score index and ejection fraction.

A new tool for automatic assessment of segmental wall motion based on longitudinal 2D strain: a multicenter study by the Israeli Echocardiography Research Group.

Background— Identification and quantification of segmental left ventricular wall motion abnormalities on echocardiograms is of paramount clinical importance but is still performed by a subjective visual method. We constructed an automatic tool for assessment of wall motion based on longitudinal strain. Methods and Results— Echocardiograms of 105 patients (3 apical views) were blindly analyzed by 12 experienced readers. Visual segmental scores (VSS) and peak systolic longitudinal strain were assigned to each of 18 segments per patient. Ranges of peak systolic longitudinal strain that best fit VSS (by receiver operating characteristic analysis) were used to generate automatic segmental scores (ASS). Comparisons of ASS and VSS were performed on 1952 analyzable segments. There was agreement of wall motion scores between both methods in 89.6% of normal, 39.5% of hypokinetic, and 69.4% of akinetic segments. Correlation between methods was r =0.63 ( P <0.0001). Interobserver and intraobserver reliability using interclass correlation for scoring segmental wall motion into 3 scores by ASS was 0.82 and 0.83 and by VSS 0.70 and 0.69, respectively. Compared with VSS (majority rule), ASS had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 87%, 85%, and 86%, respectively. ASS and VSS had similar success rates for correct identification of wall motion abnormalities in territories supplied by culprit arteries. VSS had greater specificity and positive predictive values, whereas ASS had higher sensitivity and negative predictive values for identifying the culprit artery. Conclusions— Automatic quantification of wall motion on echocardiograms by this tool performs as well as visual analysis by experienced echocardiographers, with a greater reliability and similar agreement to angiographic findings. Received December 16, 2008; accepted November 17, 2009. # CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE {#article-title-2}Background—Identification and quantification of segmental left ventricular wall motion abnormalities on echocardiograms is of paramount clinical importance but is still performed by a subjective visual method. We constructed an automatic tool for assessment of wall motion based on longitudinal strain. Methods and Results—Echocardiograms of 105 patients (3 apical views) were blindly analyzed by 12 experienced readers. Visual segmental scores (VSS) and peak systolic longitudinal strain were assigned to each of 18 segments per patient. Ranges of peak systolic longitudinal strain that best fit VSS (by receiver operating characteristic analysis) were used to generate automatic segmental scores (ASS). Comparisons of ASS and VSS were performed on 1952 analyzable segments. There was agreement of wall motion scores between both methods in 89.6% of normal, 39.5% of hypokinetic, and 69.4% of akinetic segments. Correlation between methods was r=0.63 (P<0.0001). Interobserver and intraobserver reliability using interclass correlation for scoring segmental wall motion into 3 scores by ASS was 0.82 and 0.83 and by VSS 0.70 and 0.69, respectively. Compared with VSS (majority rule), ASS had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 87%, 85%, and 86%, respectively. ASS and VSS had similar success rates for correct identification of wall motion abnormalities in territories supplied by culprit arteries. VSS had greater specificity and positive predictive values, whereas ASS had higher sensitivity and negative predictive values for identifying the culprit artery. Conclusions—Automatic quantification of wall motion on echocardiograms by this tool performs as well as visual analysis by experienced echocardiographers, with a greater reliability and similar agreement to angiographic findings.

Non-Invasive Lung IMPEDANCE-Guided Preemptive Treatment in Chronic Heart Failure Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial (IMPEDANCE-HF Trial)

BACKGROUND Previous investigations have suggested that lung impedance (LI)-guided treatment reduces hospitalizations for acute heart failure (AHF). A single-blind 2-center trial was performed to evaluate this hypothesis (ClinicalTrials.gov-NCT01315223). METHODS The study population included 256 patients from 2 medical centers with chronic heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35% in New York Heart Association class II-IV, who were admitted for AHF within 12 months before recruitment. Patients were randomized to a control group treated by clinical assessment and a monitored group whose therapy was also assisted by LI, and followed for at least 12 months. Noninvasive LI measurements were performed with a new high-sensitivity device. Patients, blinded to their assignment group, were scheduled for monthly visits in the outpatient clinics. The primary efficacy endpoint was AHF hospitalizations; the secondary endpoints were all-cause hospitalizations and mortality. RESULTS There were 67 vs 158 AHF hospitalizations during the first year (P < .001) and 211 vs 386 AHF hospitalizations (P < .001) during the entire follow-up among the monitored patients (48 ± 32 months) and control patients (39 ± 26 months, P = .01), respectively. During the follow-up, there were 42 and 59 deaths (hazard ratio 0.52, 95% confidence interval 0.35-0.78, P = .002) with 13 and 31 of them resulting from heart failure (hazard ratio 0.30, 95% confidence interval 0.15-0.58 P < .001) in the monitored and control groups, respectively. The incidence of noncardiovascular death was similar. CONCLUSION Our results seem to validate the concept that LI-guided preemptive treatment of chronic heart failure patients reduces hospitalizations for AHF as well as the incidence of heart failure, cardiovascular, and all-cause mortality.

Transient ST-elevation myocardial infarction: clinical course with intense medical therapy and early invasive approach, and comparison with persistent ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), whose symptoms and electrocardiographic changes completely resolve upon admission and before the administration of reperfusion therapy, pose a therapeutic dilemma. The optimal management of this syndrome, termed here as transient STEMI (TSTEMI), has not yet been fully determined. We describe 69 prospectively recorded patients with TSTEMI, of which 63 patients (56.7 +/- 11 years, 48 men) were available for long-term follow-up out of 1244 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction (5%). Patients with TSTEMI treated with intravenous isosorbide dinitrate, aspirin, and clopidogrel, and/or with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were compared with a control group of matched patients with STEMI without resolution, who were treated conventionally. The time interval from symptom onset to presentation at the emergency department of patients with TSTEMI was 1.7 +/- 1.3 hours, and to first recording of ST elevations, 1.5 +/- 1.4 hours. Symptoms and electrocardiographic changes fully resolved 1.2 +/- 0.8 hours later, 1 hour after aspirin and nitrate administration. Coronary angiography, performed 36 +/- 39 hours (median, 24 hours) from admission, demonstrated no obstructive lesion or single-vessel obstructive disease in 43 patients (70%). Primary coronary intervention was performed in 48 patients (77%), and 8 patients (13%) were referred to surgery. Left ventricular ejection fraction was within normal limits, and peak creatine kinase was mildly elevated. Patients with TSTEMI had less extensive coronary artery disease (P < .038), better thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow on angiography (P < .01), lower peak creatine kinase level (P < .001), higher left ventricular ejection fraction (P < .0001), and lower likelihood to sustain a second additional coronary event after index admission (P = .024) than patients with STEMI. Transient STEMI was associated with less myocardial damage, less extensive coronary artery disease, higher thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow grade in culprit artery, and better cardiac function. These data suggest that immediate intense medical therapy with an early invasive approach is an appropriate therapy in patients with TSTEMI.

Collateral pressure and flow in acute myocardial infarction with total coronary occlusion correlate with angiographic collateral grade and creatine kinase levels

BACKGROUND The validity of angiographic collateral grade according to the Rentrop classification during acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and its relation to flow in occluded coronary arteries before angioplasty have never been evaluated. METHODS We assessed the validity of the angiographic collateral grade according to Rentrop classification in relation to collateral pressure and flow beyond occluded coronary arteries during AMI. Pressure distal to coronary artery occlusions before balloon dilatation was measured in 111 patients undergoing angioplasty for AMI. We calculated the collateral flow index (CFI) and compared it to observed Rentrop grade and measured creatine kinase sum. RESULTS The values of pressure distal to coronary artery occlusions with respect to collateral grades 0 to 3 were 33 +/- 12, 37 +/- 13, 42 +/- 10, and 60 +/- 14 mm Hg (P < .0001). Overall CFI was 0.35 +/- 0.13 (median 0.33), with CFI values of 0.3 +/- 0.13, 0.33 +/- 0.13, 0.39 +/- 0.1, and 0.57 +/- 0.2 for collateral grades 0 to 3, respectively (P < .0001). Larger creatine kinase elevation (P < .016) and higher white blood cell count (P < .022) were recorded in the lowest tertile CFI compared with highest tertile CFI group; but no difference in the global, regional, or infarct-related regional left ventricular contraction was found. CONCLUSIONS These observations demonstrate that the Rentrop classification is valid in AMI patients with occluded coronary arteries and that collaterals are recruited acutely. These collaterals, whose pressure-derived CFI during AMI was shown for the first time to be higher than its value reported in chronic conditions, may limit the immediate myocardial damage or the systemic inflammatory response. No impact on global or regional cardiac contraction was detected in a population where most patients were treated early.

Mild Sedation Before Transesophageal Echo Induces Significant Hemodynamic and Respiratory Depression

Aims: Midazolam is often used for conscious sedation before transesophageal echo (TEE) studies. It is not clear to what extent midazolam administration or the insertion of the TEE probe itself is responsible for the respiratory and hemodynamic depression during TEE examinations. We compared the performance of TEE with versus without midazolam to elucidate the effects of each. Methods: Patients were given the choice of having midazolam prior to their TEE. Thirty‐one patients preferred to have sedation (Sed+) and 31 others declined sedation (Sed−). Both groups had SaO2 and blood pressure measured before the study, following sedation (in Sed+) and at the end of the TEE study. Results: Increase in HR was greater in Sed+ than in Sed− (12 ± 19% vs 6 ± 11%, both P < 0.05). There was a greater decrease in saturation of O2 in Sed+ than in Sed− (3 ± 3% vs 2 ± 3%, both P < 0.05). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) increased in Sed− by 6 ± 11% (P< 0.05) but dropped in Sed+ immediately after sedation (16 ± 8%, P < 0.000001). Diastolic blood pressure decreased in Sed+ after sedation by 11 ± 9% (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Midazolam sedation before TEE examinations causes more prominent tachycardia and depression of SaO2 than insertion of the TEE probe alone. It also causes a substantial drop in SBP. Midazolam should be offered only to hemodynamically stable patients without preceding respiratory depression. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 21, April 2004)

Usefulness of Lung Impedance-Guided Pre-Emptive Therapy to Prevent Pulmonary Edema During ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction and to Improve Long-Term Outcomes

Patients sustaining an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) frequently develop pulmonary congestion or pulmonary edema (PED). We previously showed that lung impedance (LI) threshold decrease of 12% to 14% from baseline during admission for STEMI marks the onset of the transition zone from interstitial to alveolar edema and predicts evolution to PED with 98% probability. The aim of this study was to prove that pre-emptive LI-guided treatment may prevent PED and improve clinical outcomes. Five hundred sixty patients with STEMI and no signs of heart failure underwent LI monitoring for 84 ± 36 hours. Maximal LI decrease throughout monitoring did not exceed 12% in 347 patients who did not develop PED (group 1). In 213 patients LI reached the threshold level and, although still asymptomatic (Killip class I), these patients were then randomized to conventional (group 2, n = 142) or LI-guided (group 3, n = 71) pre-emptive therapy. In group 3, treatment was initiated at randomization (LI = -13.8 ± 0.6%). In contrast, conventionally treated patients (group 2) were treated only at onset of dyspnea occurring 4.1 ± 3.1 hours after randomization (LI = -25.8 ± 4.3%, p <0.001). All patients in group 2 but only 8 patients in group 3 (11%) developed Killip class II to IV PED (p <0.001). Unadjusted hospital mortality, length of stay, 1-year readmission rate, 6-year mortality, and new-onset heart failure occurred less in group 3 (p <0.001). Multivariate analysis adjusted for age, left ventricular ejection fraction, risk factors, peak creatine kinase, and admission creatinine and hemoglobin levels showed improved clinical outcome in group 3 (p <0.001). In conclusion, LI-guided pre-emptive therapy in patients with STEMI decreases the incidence of in-hospital PED and results in better short- and long-term outcomes.

Comparison of Outcome of Recurrent Versus First ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (from National Israel Surveys 1998 to 2006)

Patients with recurrent acute myocardial infarction (AMI), who represent ≤35% of hospitalized patients with AMI, are at an increased risk of complications and death. Our study purpose was to compare the treatment and outcome of patients hospitalized with recurrent acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) from 1998 to 2006 with those of patients with a first STEMI. We performed 5 biennial nationwide 2-month surveys during 1998 to 2006, collecting data prospectively from all patients hospitalized for AMI or acute coronary syndrome in all 25 coronary care units in Israel. The present cohort included 4,543 patients with STEMI, 3,679 (76%) with first and 864 (24%) with recurrent STEMI. The patients with recurrent STEMI were older (66 ± 13 vs 62 ± 13 years), had greater rates of diabetes, hypertension, and previous angina, had a worse Killip class on admission, and experienced more in-hospital complications. The all-cause hospital crude mortality rate was 8.1% in patients with recurrent STEMI versus 5.5% in those with a first STEMI (adjusted odds ratio 1.71 95% confidence interval 1.19 to 2.44), and the 1-year mortality rate was 18.9% versus 10.9%, respectively (hazard ratio 1.85, 95% confidence interval 1.41 to 2.43). From 1998 to 2006, an insignificant trend toward a 1-year mortality reduction among patients with recurrent STEMI was seen and those with a first STEMI had a significant mortality decrease. In conclusion, patients admitted for recurrent STEMI have worse in-hospital and 1-year outcomes that did not improve during the study period. An improved therapeutic approach is needed for these high-risk patients.

A novel radiological score to assess lung fluid content during evolving acute heart failure in the course of acute myocardial infarction

Background: Monitoring of lung fluid content (LFC) in order to predict acute heart failure (AHF) during acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an unmet challenge. Aim: To evaluate in AMI patients the ability of proposed radiological score (RS), which is the sum of selected radiological signs of congestion, to reflect correctly LFC, as assessed with repeat physical examinations and lung impedance (LI) measurements. Methods: Chest X-rays were taken at baseline, when rales were detected, whenever indicated, and at conclusion of monitoring. RS grading for LFC assessment was: RS = 0–1 for normal X-ray, RS = 2–4 for interstitial congestion, and RS values of 5–6, 7–8 and 9–10 signified mild, moderate and severe alveolar edema, respectively. Results: 624 AMI patients without AHF at baseline were monitored (94 ± 42 h). 476 patients (76%) with baseline RS of 0.3 ± 0.5 did not develop AHF. Overt AHF developed in 148 patients (24%) during monitoring; baseline RS (0.6 ± 0.8) reached 5.4 ± 0.7, 7.0 ± 0.8, and 9.8 ± 0.5 at the stages of mild, moderate, and severe alveolar edema, respectively. AHF resolved with treatment. RS decreased to 1.5 ± 1.3 (P < 0.01) and correlated with physical examination (r = 0.6, P < 0.01) and LI (r = −0.9, P < 0.01). Conclusion: RS correlated well with findings on physical examination during AHF and closely correlated with LI.

Pre-admission NT-proBNP improves diagnostic yield and risk stratification – the NT-proBNP for EValuation of dyspnoeic patients in the Emergency Room and hospital (BNP4EVER) study

Background: Amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level is useful to diagnose or exclude acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in dyspnoeic patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Aim: To evaluate the impact of ED NT-proBNP testing on admission, length of stay (LOS), discharge diagnosis and long-term outcome. Methods: Dyspnoeic patients were randomized in the ED to NT-proBNP testing. Admission and discharge diagnoses, and outcomes were examined. Results: During 17 months, 470 patients were enrolled and followed for 2.0±1.3 years. ADHF likelihood, determined at study conclusion by validated criteria, established ADHF diagnosis as unlikely in 86 (17%), possible in 120 (24%), and likely in 293 (59%) patients. The respective admission rates in these subgroups were 80, 91, and 96%, regardless of blinding, and 61.9% of blinded vs. 74.5% of unblinded ADHF-likely patients were correctly diagnosed at discharge (p=0.029), with similar LOS. 2-year mortality within subgroups was unaffected by test, but was lower in ADHF-likely patients with NT-proBNP levels below median (5000 pg/ml) compared with those above median (p=0.002). Incidence of recurrent cardiac events tracked NT-proBNP levels. Conclusion: ED NT-proBNP testing did not affect admission, LOS, 2-year survival, or recurrent cardiac events among study patients but improved diagnosis at discharge, and allowed risk stratification even within the ADHF-likely group. (ClinicalTrials.gov#NCT00271128)